Message from the Officer in charge of Sustainability Management
Looking Back on Our Sustainability Efforts to Date
Director & Vice President
In charge of Group Corporate Planning,
Group Communication, and
Group Service & Support
Director of Marketing Headquarters
Vice-Chair of Sustainability
Promotion Committee
Two years have passed since the Sustainability Promotion Committee was established in February 2021 as a forum for examining our approach to realizing the sustainable development of both society and the Canon MJ Group. In 2022, the committee convened a total of five times, an increase over its first year, to discuss and take various actions to address a wide range of topics, including reports on the progress and measures of our medium-term environmental targets, improvements to our measures based on the TCFD recommendations, updates with regard to information disclosure, participation in various initiatives, and human rights measures.
Moreover, matters to be discussed and resolved by the Sustainability Promotion Committee are important topics that relate to the core aspects of management and are cross-organizational themes that involve multiple other committees and divisions.
Therefore, we determined that a system in which the committee operates under the direct supervision of the Board of Directors was necessary, and on April 1, 2023, we transitioned from a system in which the Sustainability Promotion Committee operates under the Management Committee to a system in which the committee operates under the Board of Directors. Accordingly, we have clarified the matters to be resolved by the committee and defined those to be reported for discussion and approval by the Board of Directors.
In January 2023, we added four new members and enhanced the structure of the Sustainability Promotion Committee, which has taken the lead in promoting sustainability management initiatives throughout the Canon MJ Group. Also, due to the fact that sustainability management and the external disclosure of such matters are closely related to our communication strategies, the Sustainability Promotion Committee has convened alongside the Brand Strategy Committee since the latter-half of fiscal 2022.
Material Issue Identification Process
At the Canon MJ Group, we define material issues as key issues that need to be addressed immediately in order to maintain sustainable growth. We have identified six high-priority issues (one to meet the expectations of society and five to meet the needs of society) by receiving advice from outside experts, sorting the needs of our various stakeholders, and taking the Canon MJ Group's growth strategies and policies into consideration.
Our Material Issue-Focused Approach
Due to their cross-sectional and multifaceted nature, our approach to material issues is spearheaded by the Sustainability Promotion Committee, which collaborates with the human resources, procurement, legal affairs, and other relevant internal departments as well as the Human Resources Strategy Committee, Risk and Crisis Management Committee, and the Quality Improvement Committee, which operate under the Management Committee. The Sustainability Promotion Committee assembles and visualizes the measures that are already being taken as well as the measures that need to be taken in the future, determines their level of priority, and establishes KPIs to develop a specific action plan.
In fiscal 2022, our key outcomes for material issues were as follows.
With respect to the environment, we achieved 100% use of renewable energy for the electricity used at five of the Group's business sites, including Group headquarters and Canon MJ's office buildings. Also, in an effort to help realize a resource-recycling society, we identified risks and took measures to maintain our recycling rate for product waste at 99.9% or higher. In terms of respect for human rights, we identified the negative impacts of our business activities on human rights as a part of our human rights due diligence process and determined the high-priority issues. In addition, we conducted e-learning for all Group employees to promote awareness of human rights. We also defined the scope of risk and crisis management and established KPIs that are linked to the Risk and Crisis Management Committee and the Companywide risk map.
In fiscal 2023, we will proceed with measures in accordance with the themes and KPIs we have established.
